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Review: Grand Magus - Sunraven
Grand Magus
www.grandmagus.com
Sunraven

Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Year released: 2024
Duration: 35:13
Tracks: 9
Genre: Heavy/Doom

Rating:
4/5


Review online: November 26, 2024
Reviewed by: Thomas
Review

Ever since Iron Will was released, I've kept wishing for a return to that particular form for Grand Magus. I keep coming back to that fantastic album to get my hairy-shouldered, heavily-bearded doom-tinged heavy metal fix, but I unfortunately don't think any of their subsequent releases ever came close. Therefore, it is always with some trepidation I put on a new Grand Magus album, often with the expectation that I'll quickly forget all about it.

Grand Magus turned up the heaviness a notch with their previous album, Wolf God, and while inconsistent I much preferred it to Sword Songs. Here, they pile it on even more, and Sunraven immediately feels much heavier than its predecessor. Instantly noticeable is the burly bass playing by Fox Skinner, which is placed higher in the mix, providing the songs with a nice and thick backbone. The riffs are crunchy, and JB sounds as good as ever, packing that familiar extra punch with those testosterone-laden pipes of his.

As for the actual material, while somewhat variable, I don't think Grand Magus have written songs this heavy or riffs this good in ages, and, in my opinion, Sunraven is their best effort since Triumph and Power. "Hour of the Wolf" is on the faster side and perhaps the highlight here, and I swear I've heard something like that riff before on an Iron Maiden record (which is never a bad thing). "The Wheel of Pain" evokes "Silver Into Steel" from Iron Will, and closing duo "To Heorot" and "The End Belongs to You," both kick ass.

The album dips in quality here and there, and I don't particularly care for the slightly lazy rocker, "Winter Storm," nor "The Black Lake." I also more often than not find myself wishing for some of the grit showcased on older stuff such as Wolf's Return and Iron Will. Overall, though, this is an improvement and a consistently enjoyable and memorable effort by these veterans.

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Review: Grand Magus (reviewed by Michel Renaud)
Review: Iron Will (reviewed by Sargon the Terrible)
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Review: Sunraven (reviewed by MetalMike)
Review: Sunraven (reviewed by Sargon the Terrible)
Review: Sword Songs (reviewed by Bruno Medeiros)
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Review: The Hunt (reviewed by MetalMike)
Review: Triumph and Power (reviewed by MetalMike)
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Review: Wolf's Return (reviewed by 4th Horseman)
Review: Wolf's Return (reviewed by Lars Christiansen)
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